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Sunday, January 12, 2014

INTERNATIONAL TABLE TENNIS FEDERATION PRESIDENT HAILS NTTF AHEAD OF LAGOS WORLD TOUR

President, International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF), Adham Sharara has expressed his excitement about the staging of the maiden Lagos Classics, with a commendation to the board of the Nigeria Table Tennis Federation (NTTF).

The ITTF helmsman, also believes the forthcoming Lagos World Tour would witness a huge success following the accolades that greeted the resurgence of table tennis in Nigeria with the organization of the Lagos Classics. Sharara made this submission during the singing of agreement between ITTF and NTTF to finalise for the Lagos World Tour holding in June. “I am still so excited about the success of the Lagos Classics. It was indeed a huge success and I must commend the president of NTTF, Wahid Oshodi and his team as well as the Lagos State Government for providing the enabling environment for the game to make a return.

I was overwhelmed with the huge publicity that the competition got and I felt that this was a big plus to Nigeria. So ITTF did not hesitate to give Nigeria the hosting right for World Tour. I also must thank the Lagos State Government as well as the fans for their huge support to the game and I look forward to repeat of this come June this year,” Sharara said. Also, the President of African Table Tennis Federation (ATTF), Khaled El-Salhy, who was in Lagos during the Classics confirmed that the crowd that watched the final between Egypt’s Omar Assar and Nigeria’s Segun Toriola at the Lagos Classics was the biggest to be witnessed in the continent. “I think what I saw during the Classics is a confirmation of the passion that Nigerians have for table tennis and this goes to show that NTTF led by Wahid Oshodi did a good job in organizing the tournament. I am hopeful that the Lagos World Tour will also witness this scenario in June,” the ATTF boss said. For NTTF President, Wahid Oshodi, the preparation for the championship has commenced, adding that the federation would ensure that it stages a befitting tournament.

“We are aware of the task ahead and we are going to ensure that we put everything in place that will outshine what we did during the Lagos Classics. We are grateful to ITTF as well as ATTF for the trust and confidence they had on us and we promise that we will not disappoint them,” Oshodi said. The Lagos World Tour will be staged in Lagos in June and Africa Top 16 Cup, which serves as the continent qualifiers for the ITTF World Cups, will follow it.